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Homes For Sale In Denver, CO
Denver, Colorado is without a doubt one of the most popular and most well-placed cities in the United States. Denver is a cultural icon, where the Old West meets the New West. It’s a city whose culture is a blend of resource extraction and entertainment attraction. Denver brings in people of all walks of life. The outdoorsy come for the Rocky Mountains less than fifteen miles away, and the city-minded folk come for the downtown nightlife and the highrise lifestyles that Denver real estate offers in spades. Denver is economically vibrant, culturally attractive, and perfectly situated in the heart of North America for business and travel.
More About Denver CO
Denver is called the Queen City of the Plains. Sitting a mile above sea level, Denver homes for sale is almost perfectly situated right in the middle of the high plains, a geographic belt of short grass and wide open vistas that stretch from Alberta to the North all the way down into Western Texas. No other city of Denver’s size quite encapsulates what it means to be a plains city, an island of commerce and community in a landscape that can swallow states like Massachusetts and Connecticut and still have room left over. What we mean to say is that, when you’re dealing with Denver, you’re dealing with a city at large scale.
Denver has a population of 715,000, up nearly 20% from its population in 2010. Clearly, there’s something in Denver homes for sale that people want. So what drives people to the Queen City? Well, people have been leaving the crowded East to make a new life out West for centuries, and Denver, despite being among the top 20 largest cities in the U.S., still has plenty of room to grow.
Denver homes for sale offer ample space, a precious thing nowadays as people start to work from home and value having a little more room to themselves. Besides space, Denver has a strong economy, boasting one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. Denver lays claim to a strong entrepreneurial spirit, especially in the restaurant business, with famous names like Chipotle and Qdoba both getting their starts in Denver.
Overall, Denver is a great city for young and old. Parents can count on a great school district and appreciating housing market to secure futures for their children and for themselves. For those looking to retire, residents can count on great healthcare facilities. For those looking to get the most out of their youth, downtown Denver offers an exciting nightlife and the nearby Rockies hold more beauty in their mountains than any one person can see in one lifetime.
Denver CO Real Estate Market
The Denver real estate market is among the most competitive in the U.S. and North America at large. Home values really started appreciating around 2009 and have been on an upward trend since. The median home price has more than doubled over the last ten years for a variety of reasons. The number one reason that we want to focus on today is supply, namely that of the supply of homes for sale in Denver, and the lack thereof.
Denver Real Estate Market History
During 2020, Denver saw a marked increase in home purchases and consequently, its inventory of available homes for sale plummeted. Though inventory has doubled since its low in 2020, the monthly house supply ratio is still very low, at .9, meaning Denver is locked into a seller’s market until enough houses can be built to meet sky-high demand. For those looking to buy a home for sale in Denver, this means you’re going to be competing against at least three different bids for pretty much any house you look at.
This might sound discouraging at first, but as soon as you transition from homebuyer to homeowner, you’re going to watch the value of your home increase year after year. Much of the gains you might be hoping your home to make in value can occur within the next 5 to 8 years even if current trends of appreciation diminish by half, a fall which is not likely to occur given the demand to live in Denver.
Denver Real Estate Market For 2022
Nowadays the median price for single-family homes for sale in Denver, CO sits right around $570,000. It’s more than possible that the price of Denver homes for sale is artificially high as so many people bought homes in 2020 for more than they might have otherwise thanks to historically low interest rates. As consumer patterns of homebuying level off, we might expect to see the median price for Denver homes for sale to either taper back down to pre-pandemic levels or stay where they are today.
Neither outcome is cause for worry, because unless you’re looking to flip your home immediately your 10-15 year levels of appreciation will more than make up for whatever short term tricks the market decides to pull over the next year or two.
Let’s look at the homes for sale in Denver, CO. What you’ll find is one of the most diverse housing markets in the West. You can find houses with mid-century aesthetics of brick wall, one story ranch-style homes. You can find modernist luxury homes with glass walls and sleek designs, and you can find quaint two story homes with a front porch and a good lawn. You’ll find that most Denver homes for sale range from $250,000 to $900,000 and that most luxury homes are to the southeast of the city center.
If you want to live closer to downtown Denver, you’ll need to look into the condo market. Condos for sale in Denver can be had for $125,000 up to $500,000. In fact, most of the available homes for sale in Denver are condos. Condos will give you the added benefit of living closer to city amenities than you would if you lived in the suburbs, and though you’ll still face competition to get a condo in Denver it will be significantly less than if you were looking for a detached home for sale. If you know you’re interested in condo-living, we highly recommend you check out the Lodo neighborhood, known citywide for its luxury properties, its trendy atmosphere, and its great cafes and art galleries.
Distances to Other Cities
- 28 miles to Boulder, CO
- 71 miles to Colorado Springs, CO
- 101 miles to Cheyenne, WY
- 243 miles to Grand Junction, CO
- 449 miles to Albuquerque, NM
Schools In Denver CO
As to be expected in a city the size of Denver, the schools are top notch and there’s plenty of them. To take advantage of all of the schools both public and private available to you, you can use Colorado’s open enrollment policy to get your kids into the best school for them, regardless of district. You’ll be mainly dealing with the Denver Public School system which, in the last ten years, has grown considerably alongside the population of Denver, and has improved in almost all measurable categories of scholastic performance. Here’s a brief list of some of the top schools around Denver homes for sale that you should check out.
- Steck Elementary School
- Polaris Elementary School
- Carson Elementary School
- Challenge School (Magnet) PK-8
- Dennison Elementary School
Things To Do In Denver CO
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Check out the Denver Art Museum
Located in Denver’s Civic Center and by far one of the largest museums in the Rocky Mountains, the Denver Art Museum is a cultural monument for the queen city of the plains. Featuring exhibits on textile art, Indigenous creativity and sculpture, and other pieces that will challenge your preconceptions of what art can be. -
Attend the National Western Stock Show
Take part in this nod to Denver’s heritage as a cattle town. Taking place in January, the time of year when most cattle drives end, Denver plays host to demonstrations of cattle and sheep, and also features traditional rodeo events to keep you entertained for days on end. -
Check out the Cinco De Mayo celebrations
Denver has a major Mexican-American population that takes Cinco de Mayo and Día de Los Muertos very seriously. On the fifth of May, you can expect the Civic Center Park to be full of celebration, whirling colorful dresses, and fantastic food. -
Go to a Denver Broncos game.
Denver’s home NFL team is a major draw for sports fans of all stripes in the city. With their stadium just west of downtown on the South Platte River, you’ll want to catch a game or two here when the season comes around. -
Relax at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
This wildlife refuge is as large as its name is long. Covering almost as much area as the city of Aurora itself, this place is a prime example of what environmental clean-up can do. Mule deer and buffalo roam this expansive refuge, with Denver’s skyline as prominent a fixture on the horizon as the Rocky Mountains. Head out to take in the wide variety of animals, as well as the shortgrass prairie and forests crowding around the myriad ponds and streams that dot the landscape. -
Catch a show at Red Rocks Amphitheater
The Red Rocks amphitheater is legendary in the annals of live music. Located in Morristown about thirty minutes away, Red Rocks brings in the absolute best touring musicians and comedians in the country. From Tyler Childers, to Bill Burr, to Leon Bridges, you’ll want to keep your ears open for new acts coming through when the weather is warm! -
Check out the Dragon Boat Festival
So this one’s pretty unique. This tradition of boat racing (the boats carved to look like water dragons) dates back to ancient China and has been celebrated since the time of the Warring States Period, about 2,300 years ago. Taking place in September on Sloan Lake, the Dragon Boat Festival is quickly becoming a favorite celebration in Denver. -
Visit the Denver Museum of Nature and Science
This museum is massive and a must see for Denver residents and tourists alike. With over a million objects in its collection, there is an inexhaustible variety of things to see, from dinosaurs, to sarcophagi, to mind-blowing IMAX theater experiences. -
Go see a Colorado Rockies Game
Denver’s premier MLB team is just as beloved as the Broncos. If you’re a fan of baseball and you want to see it performed at its highest level come down to the Rockies’ Coors Field and enjoy a summer night of great baseball. -
Hang out at City Park.
The plans for City Park date back to the late 1800s and ever since then this large urban park has been a natural gathering space for Denver residents. With a large lake to enjoy and plenty of open space to stretch your legs, you’ll be coming to City Park on saturday afternoons and weekday evenings all throughout your time in Denver.
Economy In Denver CO
The Denver we know today is built firmly on its economy, and really it’s been that way from the beginning. From the silver mining days of the mid 1800s, to the cattle drives, to mining and mineral extraction, and now into telecommunications and big business, Denver has weathered its fair share of booms and bust, and demonstrated its resilience as a city of commerce. So what makes Denver such an economic mainstay of the American West?
The answer lies mainly in its location, both in North America and in the world at large. Denver is a crossroads city. It’s the largest city within 500 miles in any direction. It’s equidistant from St. Louis to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago. It’s a midway point. Because it sits on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, Denver is one of many cities that sit in the north-south corridor running from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Calgary, Alberta. What this means is that you can drive on one or two roads from Denver to major cities thousands of miles away.
Denver homes for sale is also unique in that, due to its position in relation to the International Date Line, it's possible to communicate with anyone anywhere on the globe all on the same day. This is immeasurably convenient for international business, especially with Asia.
Besides location, Denver’s economy is driven by confidence. Take a look at all the companies that have made significant investments in Denver over the years, companies like Re/Max, Halliburton, and Chevron. We’ve already mentioned the entrepreneurial small businesses like Qdoba and Chipotle which got started in Denver and have since expanded nationwide. Clearly, this city is a breeding ground for new business and is sure to bring in more jobs over the coming years.
Transportation In Denver CO
There’s no one way to get around Denver. The city provides several means of public transportation, from a bus system to highly developed light rail transit that services all points of the city. Denver sits on a perfect north-south, east-west axis, so navigation is generally simple and intuitive. If you’re heading out of the city, you’re probably going to be using either I-25 or I-70. I-25 will take you north to Wyoming and south to New Mexico. I-70 will take you east to Kansas and west across Colorado into Utah. For air travel, check out the Denver International Airport.